Midget Submarines

Submarines

One of the things that often fascinates me is how Huddersfield some 50 miles from the Sea played a role in the coastal defences during World War 2. How?

XE 8 at Sea

Thomas Broadbent's & Son, a centrifuge maker still in existence today, put their engineering skills to good work during the war making XE boats. The site of the factory is now part of the university, which has been redeveloped and had the Barbarbrs Hepworth Building built on the site. 

Photograph of the Barabara Hepworth Building home of Arts and Architecture Courses

 

Photos courtesy of Yorkshire Life 

But during the second world war, Broadbents was manufacturing the X Boat or Midget Submarine. The midget submarines were over 16 metres long, and so not that easy to hide, yet they were disguised as they left the works in Huddersfield as large motor boats making them less of a target.

 

HMS Expunger (XE 8)

As she is today in Chatham Dockyard

The boats were covered in tarpaulin and taken by train to Scotland, to be launched on the Clyde.

A Submarine is prepared for transport

 

D-Day Museum Portsmouth

Huddersfield Live

Broadbent's Blog

Historic Ships

World Navies

The Gentlewomens Wardrobe

Today I had the pleasure to attend a talk with the Northern Society of Costume and Textiles, called The Gentlewomen's Wardrobe, Fashions in the Era of Anne Lister, by the great Lucy Adlington of the History Wardrobe.

Lucy talkked the auduience through the items worn by woman in the era, along with aditional information about their lives.

Trafalgar Day

The Battle of Trafalgar

Royal Collection Trust

Today, the 21st October 2022 marks the 217 anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, and the death of Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Royal Collection Trust

While it was a battle in a time of many great sea battles and Nelson's last great victory, The Battle of Trafalgar was more than this. The Battle of Trafalgar marked the beginning of British Naval supremacy at sea and the decline of Napoleans' plans to rule land and sea. Which in turn led to further growth of the British Empire.

Horatio Nelson

After Nelson arrived back his body was placed in the Painted Hall, Greenwich before his funeral. 

The Times

Nelson was hailed a hero and a funeral effigy was made of him, when Emma Hamilton saw this she is said to claim it was the best representation of him she had seen, maybe she failed to notice that they had got his eyes mixed up and given him the wrong blind eye. 

Westminster Abbey

For more on the restoration of the Westminster Effigies and their visit to St Thomas' Hospital.

Guys and St Thomas'

Nelson was laid to rest in an extravagant sarcophagus originally constructed for Cardinal Wolsey, who ended up being buried in an unmarked grave following his fall from favour. 

Nelsons Tomb (Exploring-London)

For more information on the Battle of Trafalgar

The Royal Navy

The National Maritime Museum

More information on Horation Nelson

The Maritime Museum

GPA - Global Professional Award

GPA

One of the fabulous opportunities my university offers students is the Global Professional Award (GPA, not to be confused with the US GPA Grade Point Average). The awared has three strands, Employability, Wellbeing and Enterprise.

As an undergraduate I was unable to enrol as it was rolled out across the university will I was in placement year. I have however volunteered as a facilitator on the award since placement year. 

It is a fantatstic opportunity for students to gain a free qualication, membership of CMA, as well as a chance to gain vital workskills. 

Today I was lucky enough to facilitate on a Newtworking Session, it was lovely to work with students from across Human Sciences, and share experiences. 

Trains and Buses

 Some days I hate trains, today is one of those days. I don't hate them as they are overpriced, or packed, I hate them as they are cancelled at a drop of a hat. No reason just last-minute     timetable changes, the morning they are due to leave is not a timetable change, its a cancellation, it's your drivers haven't shown up, or you didn't have enough drivers scheduled to work

So now on a day I need to be somewhere, despite leaving myself an extra hour just in case, I am going to be late, 3.5 hours to do an hours journey.

The Royal Naval Exhibition 1891

 The Royal Naval Exhibition 1891

The Victorian era saw a rise in many things from free time, to increased education and travel. The Victorians loved an exhibition and really threw themselves into making it bigger and better.

The Exhibition took place in the Summer of 1891 and was open to the public for almost 6 months, and the public came with over two million visitors. They travelled from all over the country to visit the exhibition in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. The Royal Hospital had hosted an army exhibition in 1890, and the Admiralty had a benchmark.

The Admiralty built galleries, collected equipment and artefacts, made a lake, and had life-size replicas built. They celebrated and promoted the Royal Navy and its achievements, and its world supremacy.

Torpedo Lake

Franklin Gallery

including the Artic Sub Section

Iceberg

Nelson Galley

Blake

Benbow

including the Arts Section

Howe

Including a miscellaneous section portraying life at sea.

Cook

including the Navigation and Models section

Seppings Gallery

Including more models

St Vincent Gallery

Ordnance  (Weapons and projectiles)

Armstrong Gallery

More Ordnance

Camperdown Gallery and Verandah

More Ordnance, shipbuilding and internal communications

Machinery Gallery

with state-of-the-art technology, distillers and electric lighting.

Kiosks

with models, machines and weapons

And then most exciting of all The ground with full-size replicas

HMS Victory

Eddystone Lighthouse

40-ton Ketch the Heroine

Humourous Art: Pictorial notes on the social aspects of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy Exhibition, 1891: The illustrated handbook and souvenir

One of the things I like about this guide is the illustrated adverts, many of which are for Naval outfitters or for products such as mobile telescopes.

Official catalogue and guide

Views of the Royal Navy exhibition 1891

Artic Tableaux 

Surprising Resource

Surprising Resource

The Internet Archive

It's not really a surprise as I have used this website a lot in the past, but I always seem to forget it and stumble back across it later.

This time it started with a mention of the Royal Naval Uniform Regulations for Officers 1891, a quick internet search took me straight to a copy of these regulations in a New York Library, digitized by Google.

As well as great descriptions of the uniforms this book also contains some fantastic images of the uniform items.

Uniform Regulations for Officers of the Fleet, 1891

Of course, this sent me down a rabbit hole of looking for other interesting publications and the Internet Archive did not disappoint.

1879 Regulations for Naval Uniform by Herbert Booker

One of my favourites has to be the publications that came from the Royal Naval Exhibition of 1891 (more on that later)

Online Lectures and Fire Drills

 Breaking News

Online Lectures and Fire Drills

They don't mix.

With a few online sessions this morning I decided to be clever and book one of the small rooms in the library as I have done before. 

Tablet and keyboard were both fully charged, wireless earbuds chartered, wired ones packed along with chargers just in case. And the room has a PC. I was all set.

First meeting, couldn't get the tablet to connect to uni WiFi or Eduroam, so it's down to the PC. All good except the uni PCs don't have cameras or mics, I didn't have either with me, there is only so much a girl can pack just in case. Struggled through the first meeting using the chat function, but it wasn't ideal.

For the second training, I started off on the PC but then managed to connect the tablet, all good, all set. The tutor had just begun, and I was set, earbuds in, sound and mic working, and camera filming. 

Then an awful loud high-pitched noise, were my earbuds playing up? no, it was the fire alarm. I was next to the fire exit so no huge rush to get out, I hoped it was just a test. But then others started gathering their belongings. So I picked up the essentials, tablet, notepad, diary (my life is in there) and my phone (my train ticket is on there), and off I go out the fire exit. It's all good I still have internet. So there I was standing outside the library trying to find a shady spot so I could still see the screen. All was good till we had to cross the bridge, internet was a little wobbly but soon reconnected. Ten minutes later we were allowed back in, and I was settled back into the library for the training session.

These things happen and they are no one's fault, and it's reassuring to see how quickly the fire marshals cleared the building. So I'm not complaining, and to be fair in 4 years at the university, this is only the 3rd time I have dropped on with an alarm and evacuation. 

Admiralty Badges

 Admiralty Badges

Badge of the Coxswain of the Admiralty

This badge was worn by the coxswain of the admiralty river barge in the mid-1700s. It was made around 1736 by William Luker.

The Thames was the city's lifeblood, with most of the industry being on or near its banks. With only one bridge, small boats and ferries were the only way to cross. At the time the Admiralty had authority over the river and all its comings and goings, and so barges were used.  These barges were ornate small boats showing the status of their office, in an era of manpower these boats like most other river boats were man-powered with oars.

M Dubourg's Arrival at Brandenburgh House of the Watermen

While the rowing boats of the day have been replaced by powered water taxis and the tube, The river now has more than 30 bridges crossing it.

But back in the 18th Century, the Admiralty River barge was an impressive sight, and its Coxswain or Pilot wore the above badge. The Admiralty chose to dress the crew in impressive bright uniforms to make them distinctive. 

This image shows the uniform worn by the presiding officer of the Doggetts Coat and Badge rowing race held by the Company of Watermen and Lightermen.

The Company of Watermen and Lightermen

We can see that these badges were not to the scale we might imagine today, but much larger so they could be clearly seen by all.

Bow figure wearing the uniform and the badge of Thames waterman

Today we still have a glimpse of this finery in that modern-day ceremonial waterman of the Gloriana, the Queens Royal Barge.

The Royal Watermen

The Admiralty Library

The Admiralty Library

Yesterday while searching for something else I stumbled across a mention of the Admiralty Library. This obviously peeked my attention. So after a long trawl of the internet, I managed to ascertain that it is located in Portsmouth Dockyard.

I also discovered a link to a catalogue of the library from 1858 in the Wellcome Collection.

National Museum of the Royal Navy

HMS Meleager and Captain Perkins

 HMS Meleager and Captain Perkins

Historically the Royal Navy is often seen as the bastion of white men. Images of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are often of white men, but on the 6th September 1800 that all changed as HMS Meleager's (32-Gun Amazon class frigate) new Captain is piped aboard. Captain John "Jack" Perkins was taking his next command.

Having joined the Royal Navy in 1775, Perkins had served 25 years since he first went to sea as a pilot, he gained a reputation as a daring and adventurous officer. He must have made a name for himself as he took command of his first ship just three years after joining the Royal Navy. During the American War of Independence, Perkins in his first command of HMS Punch. His brave exploits led to the capture of 315 enemy ships in just two years. One of his greatest achievements during the war was capturing a French ship with 6 senior enemy officers onboard.

Perkins had a unique knowledge of the West Indies and its various ports, which was described "his knowledge of the different ports in the West Indies was, perhaps, seldom equalled, and never surpassed" The Naval Chronicle.

However with the War over, there was no place, and Perkins left the Royal Navy for a period, it is rumoured he may even have been a pirate for a short time. We know by 1793 Perkins was back in the Royal Navy and serving onboard HMS Dianna when he was captured by the French Navy on what is now Haiti, Perkins was engaged in a secret mission to smuggle arms onto the island to supply rebel enslaved persons so they could escape. At this point Britain and France were no longer at war, but the French still sentenced him to hang, His fellow Royal Navy officers, however, managed to secure his release and he returned to the fleet.

He was soon back in command of his own ship, HMS Spitfire, and with a return to war with the French, Perkins was back into action. He continued to command ships fighting both the French and Danish. 

By 1804 his career was coming to an end, In January 1804 he was in command of HMS Tarter when he took part in a mission to assess the slave rebellion in Haiti. 

In March 1804, Captain Perkins retired from the Royal Navy.

With his prize money, he retired to Jamacia. During his career, he had never married, though he is none to have father many children. Where he died in January 1812.

His obituary stated "he annoyed the enemy more than any other officer, by his repeated feats of gallantry, and the immense number of prizes he took" The Naval Chronicle.

http://www.blackpast.org/gah/perkins-john-jack-punch-1812
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Perkins_(Royal_Navy_officer)
http://ageofsail.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/captain-john-perkins/
https://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/04/08/captain-jack-the-first-black-skipper-in-the-royal-navy/

https://blog.royalhistsoc.org/2021/03/08/in-which-they-also-served-tracing-british-sailors-of-colour-in-the-second-world-war-royal-navy/

Maritime UK Week

 This week is Maritime UK week.

As an Island nation, the UK is a Maritime Nation, with shipping playing an important part in our infrastructure.

Maritime UK

Busy, Busy, Busy

 Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a really busy few days, have hardly stopped and may at times have been rude to a few people, not got time for time wasters this week, so don't waste my time. If we have an appointment, especially if I am doing you a favour and I have squeezed you in between other appointments and meetings don't then tell me I'll have to wait for you, as you have an appointment you forgot.

So rant over, I'm enjoying the course and the interesting people I met yesterday, all with random fascinating research topics, I can't wait to see them progress over the coming months.

Currently a whirlwind of appointments, meetings and online training sessions, all mixed in with hours on the train. Is commuting a problem, honestly, sometimes it is, and sometimes it's a joy. 

A few naval hats

 A few Naval Hats

Probably one of the most distinctive of historical naval headwear is the Bicorn, initially adopted by fashion-conscious officers it went on to become an official uniform item. Worn by the French, such as Napoleon with the corners in line with the shoulders, it was worn by the Navy Fore and Aft.

Admiral Nelson

Late 18th/Early 19th Century 

Late 19th Century 

This hat continued as state dress for the flag ranks of the Royal Navy for over two hundred years, until it was replaced in 1960. 

When Mountbatten was killed in 1979 his Bicorn along with his naval sword was placed on his coffin.

Some examples in museum collections

https://www.canterburymuseum.com/collections/collection-highlights/lightbox/36

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-71222

https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-71585

Other Headwear 

Although the Bicorn is iconic thanks to great naval heros like Nelson, other forms of Naval headwear were also worn.

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1408648/commander-welch-royal-navy-photograph-brown--wheeler/

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1246227/the-sailors-tear-sheet-music-waller/

Carington Bowles

 Carington Bowles (1724-1793)

Carrington was an artist and printed who produced many of the surviving prints of the 18th Century.

In this image of a modern harlot's progress, we can see a sailor in the centre.

Harriet Heedless 1780

Satirical Prints - Issac Cruikshank

Satirical Art

I first became a little bit obsessed with Satitiracl print of the 19th and early 19th century during research for my final year of my Undergrad. 

The Cruickshanks, Rowlandson ad Newton being first favourites, and now I find myself drawn back to these artists for my research on Sailors and their headwear.

Issac Cruikshank

Nautical Comfort

How a great admiral, with a great fleet

The abolition of the Slave trade

The sailor's sweetheart

Tom Tack's Ghost

The Greenwich Pensioner

The Sailors Defence

Britsh Valour and Yankee Boasting

Voyage to Margate

Nelson receives the Spanish sword

English Sailor rejects french food

Sailors in Art (part 1)

 Sailors in Art

(part 1)

Sailors have often been included in art from satirical prints and erotic art of the 20th century, there is something about sailors and their dress that captures the eye and the imagination of many artists.

While many of these images are fictional aspects of the uniform or sailors' attire are always recognisable due to their distinct nature. 

A Modern Harlots Progress

Why are there so many sailors in art, there are a number of reasons, their distinctive uniform and clothing make them stand out, but also in the late eighteenth century there were around 81000 British-owned ships, mainly merchant ships, with just over 400 Royal Navy ships, this means there were a lot of sailors.

The Sailors Farewell

Many of these images are of daily scenes of life, but the sailor has also often been the figure of erotic fiction and images, from John Cleland's Fanny Hill in 1740 (and its later illustrations by Edouard-Henri Avril) and Thomas Rowlandson erotiques such through to modern erotic work in drawn or even photographic media from the like of Tom of Finland.

More on Erotic sailor art here, note this page is Not Safe for Work and is of an adult nature